The enormous challenges of our time can sometimes take us to the very limits of our capacity to respond meaningfully. They demand renewal and development of our personal and professional practice to enable us to thrive whilst contributing our unique gifts to the world.

This summer sees the first Juicy Edge – a powerful gathering of inspiring people who work for a peaceful, joyful and sustain-able world. From 1-5 July we will come together in the the inquiring spirit of our late friend and colleague Chris Seeley, to explore the juicy edges of our work, to support each others’ growth with clarity and creativity and to nourish our love and connection by being together in a place of great natural beauty.

Juicy Edge offers a convivial space for engaged and artful inquiry into the kind of questions that matter for those who want their lives to make a difference: What are the roots of ignorance and suffering? How should we be? What can we do? What can we offer? What must we learn? What do we need to set aside? Each of us carries our own emboldening questions which shape and reshape our lives.

We will join together as a whole community, in smaller groups, and with time to be alone. Some activities will be planned and facilitated (such as Dialogue and Open Space) and others will be self-initiated and self-organised. Support will be given by experienced facilitators for those who wish to “solo” in nature for a while.

You are also invited to bring your own particular interests and emerging practices to share with others either informally or in workshop sessions. This is a perfect opportunity to explore new possibilities for your work in a spirit of boldness and generosity – to make the path by walking it.

Juicy Edge will take place from Saturday 1st till Wednesday 5th of July 2017. We will be based in the heart of the Alta Garrotxa Nature Park at the Sant Aniol valley education center, north of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is being run with the support of the Centre for Narrative Leadership and Active Earth, on a not-for-profit basis with early bird bookings from as little as €195 (camping plus meals) or €395 (accommodation plus meals).

For an Invitation Pack click here: Juicy Edge Gathering 2017 or use the form below to express your interest or ask a question.

I recently had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Dr Sally Fox for her Story Pros series of Podcasts. In a wide ranging hour-long conversation we covered many topics including: Narrative Leadership; the importance of post-heroic stories; and the relationship between truth and stories.

I’m grateful to Sally for the quality of her probing questions and for the opportunity to think out loud about the state of storytelling in the world today and why it is so essential to speak up and to speak out in the face of ill-informed and divisive political and social narratives.

Click on the image above to find my podcast (and many others) on Sally’s excellent website. It can be played directly from the page or downloaded free from iTunes.

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We are delighted to announce that our Summer Gathering will be held at Hawkwood College, Stroud 27-28 June 2016. Our theme will be The Stories We Are. We’ll explore the ways in which we create our identity through stories and to consider how, in our various fields of practice, we can better help individuals and groups come to understand and sometimes to change their stories. We’ll consider such questions as:

How do we create, maintain, and explore our identity through stories ?

How do we better let go of the old stories when they no longer serve?

How do we find, co-create and share the new stories with each other?

How do we bring them into an emerging context that can shape our future?

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We are delighted to announce that our application to join the Federation for European Storytelling has just been accepted. FEST is a pan-European association of not-for-profit storytelling organizations with a mission to promote storytelling in all it guises. Click on the image in the sidebar to link to the FEST website.

The 2015 FEST gathering will take place on the beautiful Greek island of Kea, next July and we’ll be there, representing the Centre and all that it stands for.

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Telling the Story

Telling the Story opens a door into the world of narrative leadership, showing how leaders affect our understanding of what is possible and desirable through the stories they tell and embody. This book will help executives, managers and concerned citizens to identify what stories are and how they work; when to tell a story and how to tell one well.

It offers a challenge to consider the purposes behind our stories: what are we leading for? It will help practitioners identify their own authentic story and use this to lead convincingly. Using tips, exercises and examples, Telling the Story will help leaders build on their own current practices using the vital art of narrative leadership. This book is both practical and thought–provoking, to encourage leaders to consider the big stories of our time and how we can use our own stories to create and take responsibility for the kind of future we want.

“Geoff Mead is a master of both the theory and practice of narrative leadership. Telling the Story is refreshing in its frankness and insight. It left me feeling challenged, energized and inspired to think about the stories I want to live and tell through my own leadership. Wonderful reading for anyone who wants to enhance their positive impact on the world.” —Lindsay Levin, Founder and Managing Partner, Leaders′ Quest.

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I’ve started writing another book (this time on storytelling and leadership) which has been commissioned by Wiley/Jossey Bass. The book’s working title is Telling the Story: The Heart and Soul of Successful Leadership. My partner Chris Seeley interviewed me on video recently to ask how it’s going. Thank you Chris for permission to share the video.